Santa Bring My Soldier Home
by VAHzanessalover
Summary: Vanessa and Zac are on a break. But they both still love each other and miss each other. The other just doesnt know it. When Vanessa sings a song she wrote about her special soldier, will it bring them back together? Or will it just leave her in tears?Z
1. Chapter 1

*Flashbacks are not in time order.*

Backstage a women was fidgeting with the ring that was on her right ring finger. It was a simple ring, silver with black lettering. But to her it meant so much more. It was the ring that he gave her, the one he had promised her forever with, the one that had symbolized so much in their relationship. Their relationship she thought, and let out a sigh. She didn't know what had happened to them. 5 years, they were together and in love. But life got complicated, their schedules conflicted, and they were busy with their careers. The love was still there, but the time apart from one another was taking a toll. Mutually they decided to "take a break" from their relationship for a while, until they could find time for one another again. But to her it might have well as been the same as breaking up. 'Why did I ever agree to it?' she thought frustrated. Not being allowed to have any more time to think about what she had done, she heard her name called and was being ushered to the stage.

"We are pleased to welcome a very talented lovely young lady, appearing for her second time in the Christmas In Washington special, ladies and gentlemen please give it up for Vanessa Hudgens!" the announcer said as the crowd began to clap and cheer.

She then appeared walking out on the stage in 3 inch silver heels that made her legs seem never ending. The black and silver knee length dress that was covered in glitter and lace sparkled with every step she took, and her naturally tousled and wavy hair was put up in sophisticated bun with a few strands hanging out framing her face. "Thank you guys! I'm so glad to be able to come back and do this again! Tonight I'm going to be performing a new song that I recently wrote, I hope you guys like it! This song goes out to all the military families out there, and my special soldier."

**Oooh, aaay  
Santa have you seen my soldier?  
The one who wears my heart  
We're so far apart, ohhhh  
Santa have you seen my soldier?  
I'm braving' through the lonely nights  
Just getting by  
Living' prayer to prayer**

*As she was singing, flashbacks started to flood her mind*

_*Flashback*_

_She had just come back to her suit after a long day filming. It was late and she was exhausted, but not even that could take her mind off of her sweetheart. He was currently in New Orleans, filming a Nicholas Sparks romance in which he plays a soldier during world war 2. She hadn't seen him in weeks and missed him terribly, each day was getting harder and harder, and she only felt more and more alone as she realized she would have to come home to an empty suit each day. But a smile was put upon her face at the thought of calling him. So that's exactly what she did._

_RING...he picked up on the first one, he always did._

_"Hey babe! " his voice cheerfully greeted her._

_"Hey!" she said back trying to match his cheerfulness but failing._

_"What's wrong?" he asked noticing tone in her voice._

_"Nothing...I'm just really tired, and I miss you Zac..."_

_"V, I miss you too, but don't worry, we'll see each other in another week and a half. Only 10 more days babe. "_

_"But that's so long, I haven't seen you in 3 weeks. And I know I sound clingy, but I feel so alone without you here."_

_"Babe, your never alone. I'm always with you in your heart, remember that ok? I'm always in your heart."_

_"Ok Zac, I will."_

_"Good. Now get some sleep, you sound like you're about to pass out!" he said chuckling. _

_"Ok, I will. I love you. " she replied back slightly chuckling as well._

_"Love you too, bye babe."_

_"Bye"_

_And with that, they hung up. Vanessa changed out of her work clothes and into one of his old t-shirts. She was about to climb into bed when she decided to say a little pray to help her make it through 10 more days. She sat at the end of her bed, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes._

_"Dear God, I know I am so blessed to be healthy and doing what I love, with people around who love me. But I miss him so much it hurts. I know you can't speed up time, or make him magically appear, although I wish you would. But can you please just help me make it through 10 more days? 10 more days till I'm in his arms again. I would really appreciate it. Thank You God. Sorry for bothering you." _

_And with that she opened her eyes, unfolded her hands and crawled into bed, with sweet thoughts of him in her head._

Back then she only missed him because he was far away. Now, she wasn't even sure if he was even hers anymore.

**It's so hard to be apart this time of year  
The ones you love should be near  
Material things lose all their value  
Cuz all I want is him  
**  
**Santa have you seen my soldier?  
Let him know that I miss him and love him so  
Santa bring my soldier home  
I need him here in my arms  
Cuz our love's worth fighting for  
Santa bring him home**  
**Santa bring him home  
Oh oh oh ohhh**

_*Flashback*_

_Vanessa was walking through the street. It was early morning, and surprisingly chilly. She had just wanted to go out and clear her head. It was the day after "it" happened, and she was still so horribly confused. When she woke up this morning, she knew she just had to get out. So here she was, wandering the streets. It was almost Christmas time, just barely two weeks left till the big day. As she wandered around, she found herself at a small store, she looked in a window and saw the necklace she had wanted just a few days ago. She suddenly didn't want it anymore, she had so badly wanted it a while ago, but now it didn't even matter. It had lost all the value in the world to her, all she cared about was him. Not some necklace. She didn't want that. She wanted him. She missed him. Loved him. Wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, and to be his. She wanted him. Only him. _

_On the verge of tears, she went to the set. It was a couple hours early, but she figured someone would be there, maybe Brad, the producer would be there and could keep her company. So she got into a cab and soon came to the production site._

_"Hey Vanessa." he greeted her as he saw her approach._

_"Hey Brad." she said back._

_"Is something the matter Vanessa?" he asked when he noticed her raspy voice and tear-stained cheeks._

_"Oh its nothing Brad, I'm just a little bit confused and lonely right now." she replied back, down playing her sadness._

_"Oh, is that it? Why, of course you are! Christmas is less than two weeks away and I have you hundreds of miles from your family and boyfriend. Of course your feeling lonely, but don't worry about it. You'll be home in a couple of days and surrounded by everyone you love." he said full heartedly and patted her shoulder._

_'Almost everyone...' she thought._

_"Thanks Brad, that helped a lot." she spoke in a cheerful tone, faking it well. _

_"No problem bud, how about we go grab breakfast?"_

_"Sounds great..."_

_"Alright, let's go!"_

**Life's not the same without my soldier  
Every time we laughed,  
The comfort that we had  
Ohh**

_*Flashback*_

_"Zac, please stop!" Vanessa whined._

_"Ha ha ha NEVER!" Zac laughed and continues his attack._

_Currently he had her pinned to the couch and was tickling her to death._

_"Stop Zac! " she pleaded._

_"Say 'Zac Efron is the hottest guy alive". _

_"NEVER!" _

_He continued his assault on her stomach , which was her weak spot. She gasped and laughed even more than before. Boy, did he love her laugh. It was one of the most beautiful things he ever heard, even better than a sweet melody, but right up there with her soft and girlish voice. And he could get lost forever in those beautiful chocolate colored eyes of hers. He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile. Her face was bright red and she was laughing really, really hard, gasping for air._

_"Fine I'll say it!" she said, still laughing, "Zac Efron is the hottest guy alive!"_

_He immediately stopped. She got up from under him and straightened her shirt out._

_"That wasn't funny, Zac." she said, faking a pout._

_"I was only playing around." he said defensibly_

_She continues to put. He was a sweet guy, but sometimes he was clueless. Suddenly he poked her side and she yelped. With a thump she fell off the couch, dragging him down with her. _

_She opened her eyes and saw two bright blue eyes staring back at her. She could've stared at them all day if he hadn't brought her out of her daydream._

_"Hey" he said, calmly_

_"Hey to you too" she said, giggling_

_Suddenly, Zac leaned in and captured her lips with his and she kissed back. The two of them just lay there on the ground kissing. When oxygen became a serious need, they both pulled back and rested their foreheads on each other and smiled, breathing heavily. Their hands intertwined and they looked into each other eyes, enjoying the moment. Until they both started to laugh again, and she started her own tickle attack on him. Revenge was never funnier._

****  
**He's the one who's been there for me all along  
He taught me to be strong enough  
When times are tough  
And keep the faith when I can't hold on**

_*Flashback*_

_"Zac…My career is ruined. I'm only 18, and my career is already down the drain. I feel like giving up." Vanessa cried._

"_Ness, you can't give up. That's crazy. It was one mistake, we all make mistakes. It's going to be fine, don't worry about it, just hang it there." Zac tried to reassure her._

"_You haven't made any! You haven't done something completely stupid! Everything was going great, but then I just had to SCREW THEM UP!" Vanessa said hysterically now._

"_VANESSA! Listen to me. You have to calm down. We have to think this through, we can figure it out. Other people have gone through this kind of crap. We aren't the first ones and we won't be the last. Please, please calm down." Zac was trying his best to calm her down, but it was difficult thousands of miles away, especially cuz all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. Screw the promotion._

"_Why do you keep saying 'we' Zac? You aren't the one going through this, you aren't the one that has to get through this, I am. There's no reason you need to deal with this mess. It'll only bring you down too." Vanessa sobbed and Zac could tell she could barely catch her breath through the tears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from her._

"_Nessa! Why wouldn't I go through this with you? Your my girlfriend, your problems are my problems, I want to be there for you. I'm your boyfriend and I am NOT going to let you go through this alone." Zac was adamant._

_"No. You're not going to drag yourself down with me when you don't have to. I don't know what happens next Zac, but you're not involved. I just, I gotta go." A sobbing Vanessa had wanted to end the conversation, not being able to bear it anymore, until she heard him speak again._

_Trying to stay calm, but act quickly, he spoke again. "Nessa, then let __me__ be your strength. Let me be strong enough for both of us. Let me help you get through this. I know you feel weak right now, but it's ok. I'd be surprised if you didn't. But I won't let you give up on this, on yourself, on us. Not right now. Not ever. And especially not when you need me the most. I need you too." Zac wasn't sure how he was going to gain this strength that he claimed to have ,but he realized he would need her too, even in her weakness, if there was any hope of finding it._

_Vanessa didn't have the strength to argue with him now. All she could focus on was that Zac said he still needed her. She had no idea why, but he said he did. That gave her just an ounce of courage to talk to him a little longer._

_"Thank you Zac. Thank you." she said with a pinch of happiness to her voice, one that he hadn't heard it a while. _

_"For what Van?" he asked her curiously_

_"For always being there for me. For being my rock. For helping me get through this. For letting me hold onto my faith when I thought I lost it all. It's a hard time for me right now, but I know your there for me, just like you'll always be. So thank you. You have no idea how much it means Zac, really."_

**It's so hard to be apart this time of year  
The ones you love should be near  
Material things lose all their value  
Cuz all I want is him**

Santa have you seen my soldier?  
Let him know that I miss him and love him so  
Santa bring my soldier home  
I need him here in my arms  
Cuz our love's worth fighting for  
Santa bring him home  


**The wind blows so cold  
Without your hand to hold  
It's haunting my mind  
Like the day we said goodbye  
There's a boy overseas  
Who's lonely just like me  
I'm waiting for the day  
My hero comes home to me  
**

_*Flashback*_

_She turned on her side to look at the glowing red numbers on her clock. 2:57. Ugh. It was early and she couldn't sleep, she had been tossing and turning in her bed for hours but it was useless. Sleep was clearly not coming to her tonight. Then she heard a loud crash and saw a bright flash.' Oh how I hate storms' she thought as she pulled the covers over herself tighter and looked for the teddy bear he had bought her, seeking comfort in it. It was behind her pillow, she pulled it out and hugged it to her chest. 'It still smells like him' she thought at she hugged it tighter and as a tear fell down her check. 'If only he was here, he always protected me from storms.' and with that a memory played in her head._

_*Flashback on a flashback*_

_A sudden girlie squeal was heard, and something moved in the bed disrupting his much needed sleep. _

_'Ugh' he thought as he woke up to see what it was. He turned to his side and saw it was Vanessa with a frightened look on her face, desperately clutching onto the pillow, using it as a shield from the storm._

_"Hey...Ness, it's ok, I'm right here, don't worry." he said softening his voice as he spoke so it was barely a whisper_

_"Oh Zac, I hate storms, they're so awful, and they always freak me out!" she said, he words shaking a bit._

_"It's ok, I'm right here." he said calmly._

_He moved his arm so that it was protectively around her shoulder and pulled her in close to him. She rested her head on his chest, and looked up at him with grateful eyes. _

_"Thanks Zac"_

_"No problem, I'm right here, try to get some sleep ok?"_

_"Ok"_

_With his arms still around her, holding her close to him, he began to softly stroke her hair trying to comfort her into sleep. She breathed in his scent and concentrated on that and the warmth that seemed to be radiating from him. Within 5 minutes she was out like a light._

_"Night Ness, I love you so much baby." he whispered into her hair._

_With her head still on his chest, he gently kissed her forehead, pulled her tighter to him and drifted off to sleep._

_*Back to the current flashback*_

_"Oh Zac, I miss you so much." she said quietly to herself as another set of thunder crashed and more tears flooded her cheeks._

*On the other side of the world*

_He tossed and turned on the bed, trying desperately to find sleep, but failed. He turned on his side and glanced at the glowing red numbers on his clock. 2:57. Ugh. He had been in bed for hours, and yet he still wasn't asleep. He kept thinking about her, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He knew there was a bad storm going on outside, but that didn't bother him. He was a heavy sleeper and could sleep through practically anything. What bothered him was that he knew she hated storms, and that she was alone in her house while the storm was going on outside. _

_'She must be terrified' he thought._

_'I miss her. I want to be with her. I want to be there with her now, protecting her from this. Calming her fears, wiping away tears, I want to be there. So why aren't I? he thought 'Right, the break. Why did I agree to that again?' he questioned himself as he heard another crash of thunder, and his heart felt a pang. _

**Send my love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my  
Send my (send my) love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my love  
Send my love  
(Send my love love  
Send my  
Send my love)**

Santa have you seen my soldier?  
Let him know that I miss him and love him so  
Santa bring my soldier home  
I need him here in my arms  
Cuz our love's worth fighting for  
Santa bring him home

Love love  
Send my love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my  
Send my (send my) love  
Send my love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my love  
Send my love  
Send my love love  
Send my  
Send my love

**Cuz our love's worth fighting for  
Santa bring him home**

She finished the song, her eyes glistening with tears but refusing to let them out in front of all these people. She had meant every word she sung, 'Cuz our love's worth fighting for, Santa bring him home, please...' she thought. Their love was worth fighting for, so why aren't they? She continued to question herself but was snapped out of her daydream at sound of the crowd going wild, clapping and cheering. She smiled as she accepted the applause and thanked her audience. Slowly, she made her way backstage to her dressing room. Opening the door, and then closing it behind her she sat down on the small couch, sighing. Finally she began to let the tears leak out as she slowly began to slip off her heels. But then she noticed a hand on her shoe that she was sure didn't belong to her. Her head snapped up when she realized she wasn't alone. Staring back at her was the smile she loved so, the bluest eyes she had ever seen, and that beard she had grown to love.

"Zac..." she said so soft it was barely a whisper, but he heard it.

"Ness..." he said back smiling at finally being able to see her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked

"We made a mistake Ness, we should have never taken a break. I miss you. I love you. I want to be with you. I know it's hard sometimes, but with you by my side, and me by yours, we can do anything and everything." he said pouring his heart out to her about what he had been feeling.

"Oh Zac, I miss you too. And I love you so much." she said back breaking into a smile.

And with that the two lovers shared a passionate, sweet, and gentle kiss.

'Thank you Santa' she thought happily.

"You're welcome Vanessa, you two are meant to be together. Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" a man with a long white beard and red suit and hat said cheerfully as he looked down upon them.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Ok, so hi there everyone who's taking their time to read this! So I'm new to the whole posting stories thing, and I totally forgot the about the author's note. But what I wanted to say was that this is my first story, so I really hope you guys like it! And please review or leave a comment so I can get some feedback on my writing, it would mean a lot! Also, with the Zanessa break up rumors going around, I wanted to post a story about them, so when I heard this song, a whole story just flashed through my mind, and I just had to write it! So thank you so much for reading, I hope you like it! (:

PS: Oh, and the song in this is Santa Bring My Soldier Home By: The Stunners, I would recommend listening to it, I liked it a lot, it's what gave me inspiration to write this!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the ideas in my head. High School Musical belongs to Gary Marsh and the Disney Co. And Zac and Vanessa belong to each other.


End file.
